Dr. Bonnie Henry, B.C.’s provincial health officer, and Adrian Dix, Minister of Health, have issued a joint statement regarding updates on the COVID-19 response in British Columbia. "Today, we are reporting 378 new cases, for a total of 143,264 cases in British Columbia."There are 3,543 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, and a further 137,929 people who tested positive have recovered."Of the active cases, 286 individuals are currently hospitalized with COVID-19, 88 of whom are in intensive care. The remaining people with COVID-19 are recovering at home in self-isolation. There have be

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says the time between COVID-19 vaccinations is being reduced to eight weeks from the former maximum of 16 weeks. Dr. Henry says the province has sufficient supplies of Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines to make the change. She says everyone who is eligible should have their second dose of vaccine by the end of the summer. Dr. Henry says the province will try to provide people with the same vaccine for their booster shot, but a shortage of Moderna may mean some people will have to get a Pfizer shot instead. Adrian Dix on Twitter: With the large numb

A 53-year-old woman has been charged with aggravated assault after a stabbing at the Vancouver Law Courts this week. Sgt. Steve Addison of Vancouver police says in an email statement that the accused and the victim were at the court for a civil matter that was scheduled for a hearing on Tuesday. Addison says the stabbing occurred before the court session began. He says the 53-year-old victim was seriously hurt and taken to hospital. Addison says sheriffs held the suspect until police arrived. Catherine Shen is scheduled to appear in court on Friday.

Police have named the victim of Vancouver's seventh homicide of 2021. They say 59-year-old Richard Hooper was stabbed numerous times and died in hospital on Monday. He was attacked in a home in east Vancouver on May 22. Rajesh Narayan, who police say is known to the victim, was arrested nearby. The 38-year-old is charged with second-degree murder. Narayan remains in custody and documents show his next court appearance is scheduled for June 18.

On May 26, 2021 at approximately 145 p.m., Boston Bar RCMP responded to the report of a body just off Highway 1 north of Yale BC. Upon attendance, police located the remains of a deceased individual. The area surrounding the scene remains cordoned off for a significant amount of time. The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) is engaged and working in partnership with the Hope RCMP and BC Coroners Service. Police are currently in the early evidence gathering stages of their investigation. No further information is available for release at this time. Further information to be forwarded

The British Columbia Securities Commission (BCSC) is alleging that a Vancouver man and a company run by his father defrauded a B.C. investor and illegally distributed securities.In a Notice of Hearing, the BCSC says that Geoffrey Rajay Sidhu met the investor through a social network website, and learned that she owned a home mortgage-free and had a modest income. Sidhu offered to give her financial advice to improve her financial situation, and the investor accepted his offer.Sidhu recommended that the investor obtain a mortgage against her home and use the proceeds to invest in real estate. S

The 2020 Transit Service Performance Review (TSPR) shows that transit remained a vital service for tens of thousands of people during the COVID-19 pandemic, despite the challenges posed by COVID-19 and public health restrictions. TransLink continued delivering more than 620,000 boardings every weekday. Even at the lowest point of the pandemic, approximately 75,000 people still relied on transit every day, including many essential workers. TransLink secured one of the highest ridership retention rates among the 10 busiest systems in Canada and the United States. TransLink retained 48 per cent

Members of a critical incident response team are working at a Kelowna, B.C., high school helping students cope with the loss of three Grade 12 classmates. The three Kelowna Senior Secondary students were in a Honda Civic sedan that RCMP say hit a utility pole in the city just after midnight Wednesday.An 18-year-old woman who was driving and two passengers, an 18-year-old man and a 17-year-old girl, died at the scene.The three were set to graduate within weeks and School District 23 Superintendent Kevin Kardaal says a specialized team of grief counsellors is at the school.He says students and

British Columbia's health minister and provincial health officer are encouraging residents to limit their socialization with others, as the number of COVID-19 cases dips. Adrian Dix and Dr. Bonnie Henry say it is important to socialize with a small group of people, and take more precautions for those who are at a high risk of contracting the virus. B.C. reported 250 new cases of COVID-19 Wednesday, for a total of 142,886 since the pandemic began, as well as three new deaths. Dix and Henry urged residents to get vaccinated, saying the vaccines form the backbone of the province's reopening plan.